SOUTH WHITLEY, Ind. (WOWO) — The Town of South Whitley, former Police Officer Brian Schimmel along with Whitley County Sheriff Jason Spencer and several employees of the Whitley County Jail are named in a lawsuit filed in the wake of a controversial January 2024 traffic stop in South Whitley.
21Alive reports that video which has gone viral shows former Police Officer Brian Schimmel forcibly pulling then, 18-year-old Vivian Augustus, from her car before slamming her to the pavement at a Marathon Gas station during a traffic stop for having a headlight out.
Schimmel maintains he took the action when Augustus refused to identify herself.
She was later strip-searched and cavity-searched at the Whitley County Jail according to the lawsuit.
Schimmel had been an officer in Monrovia, and was subjected to disciplinary action there following an incident that required him to take de-escalation classes in 2023.
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The department had no intention of getting rid of this officer until pressure mounted from youtubers. Qualified immunity is absolute B.S. They lie , they violate civil rights and abuse power routinely. They should ( by future law ) carry insurance to cover these lawsuits. Why should taxpayers who are apparently not allowed the truth( also actively lied to) by the department have to foot the bill ? We have a problem with police in the US. It goes beyond race barriers also and is in my opinion a knife to the citizens throat by a corrupt ruling class. I’ve seen multiple videos on this incident and its a joke. This police department is corrupt like most but in Indiana style I’m sure this criminal cop will find another haunt when he gets his guns back. What an absolute joke and the tax payers get screwed again.